The zoo said Friday the decision follows a six-month review of its elephant program. It plans to spend up to $3 million in the next five years to strengthen its Asian elephant program. It says it's optimistic about adding to the herd in the near future. Full story »

More wildlife news: Crude oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico causes severe defects in the developing hearts of bluefin and yellowfin tuna, according to a new study by a team of federal and academic scientists. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports. Full story »

Culling data from 178,000 interviews in 189 metro areas coast to coast, the index's data crunchers tease out how Americans feel about such things as their emotional and physical health, healthy behaviors, work environment and access to life's basic necessities. Full story »

Zoo staffers cleared the Tiger Plaza area, swarmed with some of the nearly 12,000 visitors to the zoo on a sunny spring break day, so veterinary van could get through. The zoo's emergency firearms team also responded. Full story »

The wild born otter was found alone and in poor condition last summer on a Kodiak, Alaska, beach. He was 6 to 8 weeks old and after long observation, it was determined he'd been abandoned. Young otters can't survive on their own. Full story »

Along the Oregon coast, the annual Whale Watch Week is in full swing with something like 160 gray whales passing Oregon's coast daily as an estimated 18,000 of the leviathans migrate north from their birthing grounds in Mexico to their summer feeding grounds off Alaska. Full story »

A poll posted Wednesday, in the context of a story about lead poisoning in California condors and asking whether Oregon should ban use of lead ammunition certainly got folks' attention, as any gun- or ammo-related story does. The poll got mentions far and wide across the Internet. Full story »

We might think of it as The More Caffeinated than Portland City, the Our Mountain's Bigger Than Yours City, the Three Hours in the Amtrak Bar Car City, the Traffic Nightmare City or Paul Allenville. Let's give the big girl a hand, shall we oregonlive.com readers? Full story »

Eight mothers set up the nonprofit – essentially a portal for private Facebook-based support groups for expectant mothers, new moms of children with Down syndrome and perhaps down the road, a group for fathers. Full story »

By 2050, the number of people age 65 and older with Alzheimer's could triple, according to the association, from 5 million to as many as 16 million, given the aging population and barring medical breakthroughs to prevent, slow or stop the disease. Full story »